E-mail in the Online Classroom
Many platforms have e-mails set up within the course (WebCT) while others (E-College) have e-mails sent to a personal e-mail address established by the college. At CFC our e-mails from students will be delivered to our personal account. Will you set up a new personal account for your online classroom to keep it separate from your personal e-mails? Why or why not? What are the advantages to each method?
Kathryn Sellers
Kathryn:
I would set up a separate e-mail account for online students. The main reason for making this choice is to keep my own e-mail box less cluttered, and more manageable while I do not have to worry about exceeding any limit imposed by my ISP. This, however, is not my first preference. My first preference is for the e-mails to be stored on an account that resides on the institution's server-----the same place wher preformance tracking data and grades are stored. With the record of all communications kep on the institution's site, I do not have to worry about security or loss of information in case a students questions any decisions I have made during the course----decisions communicated through e-mail.
Satrohan
Hi Kathryn,
In setting up a seperate account I thing the advantage would be that you know that everything that goes to that email account is from your students and it may be easier to identify student emails but the disadvantage may be that you may have to check different email accounts and that may be time consuming. You may also want to keep your personal email account private.
Marisol Soto
Marisol:
It's always better to keep student e-mails in a separate account; preferably the one assigned by your learning institution and connected to the institution's server.
Satrohan
I will setup a separate email account for my online students to use. I think this establishes a professional presence to the students. It also allows me to organize my work more effectively and respond quickly to student requests since those messages are segregated from my normal email traffic.
Patricia:
You have mentioned excellent strategies formanaging e-mails from students. Some institutions require that Instructors use the e-mail system of the Course Delivery Platform so thatthey can keep a record of all communications of this type just in case they it becomes necessary to investigate student allegations. Forexample, a student questions his or her grade.
Satrohan
I chose to leave one of my personal accounts as my student account...At least for me, this ensures that I check it frequently (which I might not do with a dedicated account). I have developed a folder system and as soon as I identify it as school related I drag it over to the folder. This gives me a segregated content without disrupting my normal e-mail activities.
Johnny:
This is an excellent e-mail management strategy.
Ease of access and retrieval do make the job easier.
Satrohan
Kathryn,
I would suggest setting up a separate work email. This helps separate your personal life from your professional life. I have recently taken my own advice and set up a separate email for my class. I know logging onto my email that I am doing so to work, and not be distracted by personal items.
Kristin:
Some institutions require Instructors to maintain a separate e-mail account, the content of which is stored on the Course Delivery System of a specified period of time just in case one has to refer to such communication to resolve any problems; for example, a student questioning the final grade.
Satrohan
Generally speaking, what have you found to be the normal protocol as it relates to emails? It would seem that all schools would require a dedicated address to keep all those communications safely stored and immediately available for review.
Josefer:
The normal protocol is as you have stated; however, only the Instructor has access to the e-mails. Moreover, the e-mails can be either discarded or archived once the day beyond which a student can question his or her grade has passed. Of coure, other factors may dictate different circumstances that may dictate longer storage or other people having privileged access.
Satrohan
Another email management idea is if you use a mail system (Outlook, Eudora, etc) you can have the system manage the emails for you. Have all your email addresses filter into the one instance of the program and based on mail rules, you can have them go into folders. That way, you can know when the emails from your online students come in, but you are not bombarded and can get to the emails when you have time.
Thank you for sharing this management strategy with us, Michelle.
Satrohan
Satrohan,
What do you suggest is the most effective way to maintain permanent records of discussion, grades, and responses sent via e-mail? Hard copies vs. stored data
Shannon
Shannon:
Grades must be entered into the Gradebook of the Course Delivery Platform. Participation in discussion forums must be stored on the Course Delivery Platform, at least until the deadline for students querying their final grade has passed. E-mail messages must be stored on the E-Mail system of the Course Delivery System. All data must be backed up on the Institution's server. This preservess confidentiality of student data, as well as availability of data when needed. For example, if you have to discipline a student, you may need the e-mail messages as supporting evidence.
If I were an Instructor, I will not store any student information---peronal or course-related on my personal computer.
Now if the course is not delivered on a Course Delivery Platform, then the decision to store electronically or paper-based would depend on two factors. If you have access to a computer at the institution, and your data is password protected, then you should store the data electronically. If you do not have access to a computer at the institution, then your decision will be driven by the institution's policy on maintaining confidentiality of student records.
Hope this answers your question, Shannon.
Satrohan
Kathryn:
I have emails sent to my personal account. One of the requirements that I tell students is to reference the specific course in the subject line so I can spot their message fast. In my personal account I keep a separate file for each class I teach so I can file and reference all activity from that class. These files have helped when students challange their grades.
Daniel
Daniel,
Excellent approach – I myself have found this helpful for the very same reason. Thank you for your contribution.
Dr. S. David Vaillancourt
